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  • Kevin Harvick No. 33 Kevin Harvick 10th Anniversary Fan Club Chevrolet Impala Team Race Preview

    LOOKING FOR NO. 1: As Kevin Harvick makes his 16th-career Nationwide Series start this week at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, he looks to record his first-career Nationwide Series win at the ‘Monster Mile.’ Behind the wheel of the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Kevin Harvick 10th Anniversay Fan Club car, Harvick will attempt to improve upon his current record of three poles, two top-five and eight top-10 finishes. He has completed 98.1 percent of laps attempted (2957 of 3014 laps) and led 290 laps.

    Harvick will make his 20th-career Cup Series start at the famous one-mile track when he climbs behind the wheel of the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Chevrolet on Sunday. In 19 previous Cup Series starts, he has two top-five and seven top-10 starts, completing 98.2 percent of laps attempted (7464 of 7604 laps) and has led 134 total laps.

    THANK YOU FOR 10 GREAT YEARS! This weekend Harvick will carry a unique paint scheme as the Kevin Harvick Fan Club celebrates 10 years of having some of the most loyal fans in NASCAR. The paint scheme centers around a unique Fan Club Anniversary logo, along with details for this year’s Fan Club Gathering to be held on October 17, 2010 at Kevin Harvick Inc.(KHI) in Kernersville, North Carolina. This year’s event will feature live entertainment from The Chris Lane band, a dunking booth sponsored by Rheem, KHI Idol, KHI shop tours, a Corn Hole Tournament, a Big Wheel Race with sponsor Jimmy John’s and much more!

    For more information or to join the Kevin Harvick Fan Club, visit www.kevinharvick.com. Replica diecasts of this special paint scheme can also be purchased from Happy’s E-shop by visiting www.kevinharvick.com.

    BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER KEVIN HARVICK:

    This weekend you are driving the No. 33 car with the 10th Anniversary of the Kevin Harvick Fan Club represented. Can you talk about this special paint scheme? “This car is really neat and is our way of thanking the fans for 10 great years. NASCAR fans are so loyal and stick with us through the good and the bad, and that is no different for my fans. I have some of the best fans around and they’ve been with me for my Nationwide Series championships, my Daytona 500 win and continue to stick with me as I continue to build my career. This is just a really neat way to celebrate 10 years of the Kevin Harvick Fan Club.”

    Describe Dover International Speedway. “Dover is an extremely fast track. You really need to concentrate the entire race just to make sure you don’t get caught up in someone else’s mistake. The track is very narrow with a lot of banking, which makes for some great side-by-side racing. This track is one of the toughest places on our circuit to pass. You also need to have a good qualifying run since pit road is very small and narrow, which can cause you to lose a lot of valuable positions during a routine pit stop.”

    Is it hard to avoid accidents when they happen at Dover? “Things happen really fast. There really isn’t a lot you can do. But, you can usually tell when something is getting ready to happen in front of you. The real trouble spots are driving in too deep under someone getting in and washing up, getting a bad push or getting loose off the corners. The track is self cleaning with all the banking so it’s hard to get out of the way if you are in the groove and it all starts coming down the hill.”

    CHASSIS HISTORY: This weekend the No. 33 team will unload chassis No. 055 for team co-owner Kevin Harvick at the ‘Monster Mile’ of Dover International Speedway. This chassis was last on track at Bristol(Tenn.) Motor Speedway with Elliott Sadler. Sadler won the pole position, led 21 laps and finished fourth. In addition to Bristol, this chassis was run at Iowa Speedway where Harvick started the race from the seventh position and finished solidly in second place. Prior to Iowa, this chassis was on track at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway where Harvick started the race from the 18th position and finished sixth and in the rain-delayed race at Texas Motor Speedway in April, Harvick piloted the then brand-new chassis from the16th position to fifth.

    PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Most recently, the Nationwide Series competed at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway for 250 laps of action under the lights. Showcasing the Nationwide Series new car for the third of four times this season, Harvick scored his third pole of the season and 22nd of his Nationwide Series career. Dominating the race, Harvick went on to lead a race high of 170 of the 250-scheduled laps and secured his third Nationwide Series win of the season for his 37th-career Nationwide Series win. The win marked his fifth Nationwide Series win at Richmond and tied Harvick with Mark Martin for the most career Nationwide Series wins at the 0.75-mile track. The win was the first time that Harvick has won a Nationwide Series race from the pole position in a KHI car.

    ARE YOU A FOLLOWER? Twitter users can now keep up-to-date with Kevin Harvick Inc.’s NASCAR Nationwide Series by following @KHI_NNS. In addition, you can follow KHI’s Truck Series teams @KHI_TruckSeries. Want more from KHI? Follow KHI’s co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick @KevinHarvick and @DeLanaHarvick.

    ONLINE MEDIA KITS: Media members can now access KHI media kits online at KevinHarvickInc.com. Included on the site are driver bios, driver and team images, KHI history and statistics, team profiles and schedules. Please contact Alicia Deal (adeal@kevinharvickinc.com) at KHI for access to the new site.

    Kevin Harvick

    Nationwide Stats at Dover

    Year No. Team Start Finish

    2010 33 KHI 10 6

    2009 33 KHI 5 13

    2008 33 KHI 6 28

    2008 33 KHI 13 17

    2007 77 KHI 29 7

    2006 21 RCR 24 3

    2006 21 RCR 1 13

    2005 21 RCR 2 29

    2004 21 RCR 6 6

    2004 21 RCR 13 6

    2003 21 RCR 1 9

    2001 2 RCR 4 14

    2001 2 RCR 2 3

    2000 2 RCR 12 22

    2000 2 RCR 1 6

    *KHI: Kevin Harvick Inc.

    *RCR: Richard Childress Racing

    About Kevin Harvick Inc.:

    Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001 by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, is an 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. Home of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship team, KHI enters 2010 in its seventh full year of competition with two full-time Truck Series teams and one full-time Nationwide Series team. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday returns to the helm of the No. 33 Truck team looking for his fifth title and third championship for KHI (2009 and 2007), while Sprint Cup series stars Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler guide the No. 2 Truck team. Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Harvick will again shine as the lead driver of the No. 33 Nationwide Series team as he continues to make his mark in motorsports and establish KHI as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com.

  • Penske Racing Poster Child for NASCAR Vagaries

    Penske Racing Poster Child for NASCAR Vagaries

    Penske Racing, one of the sport’s elite teams, is currently experiencing both NASCAR’s highs and lows and could serve as the poster child for just how capricious the sport can be.

    On one hand, Penske ace Kurt Busch has made it to the Chase and has the potential to bring the first ever Sprint Cup title to Penske Racing.  In addition, Penske’s young gun Brad Keselowski just scored his first career pole with a new track record for the Cup race at Loudon.  Keselowski is also bringing Penske glory by competing for the Nationwide Series championship this year, posting four victories thus far and sitting atop of the series points standings.

    [media-credit id=5 align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]Yet on the other hand, Penske, like many teams, is struggling with major sponsorship woes.  The team announced this week that both Justin Allgaier, their up and coming Nationwide driver, as well as struggling Cup competitor Sam Hornish Jr., are free to pursue other rides due to lack of sponsorship for 2011.

    On the plus side, the ‘Captain’ and his Penske Cup team are certainly riding the wave of Chase hope with driver Kurt Busch seeded fifth in the top twelve in his No. 2 ‘Blue Deuce’.  In fact, many have termed Busch a ‘sleeper’ contender for the championship this year.

    “I think we could surprise people,” Busch said.  “I definitely think the race team’s capable of it.  We’re working on some good things now and bringing better race cars to the race track than what we’ve had the last few weeks.”

    In addition to Busch’s championship possibilities, Penske Racing also celebrated another high this weekend with Brad Keselowski’s pole run at New Hampshire.  The team’s young driver broke the record previously set by Juan Pablo Montoya for Cup qualifying at the Magic Mile, with a lap of 28.515 seconds at a speed of 133.572 mph.

    “It felt pretty good,” Keselowski said.  “I felt like I had a shot at the pole before I qualified.  When I ran the lap, I thought I gave up a little time going into the corners, but I had a plan going in and I stuck to it and it worked.

    “This is a great spark to our team through a tumultuous period. I’m really happy for my team.  I’m almost more proud for them than for any stat that I might get out of it as a track record or a first pole. They really dug hard for me all year through adversity, so it’s great to see them smile. This is a breath of fresh air that legitimizes our team to being able to get up front.”

    In spite of these incredible highs, Penske Racing is also experiencing the flip side of the sport, showing just how capricious the world of competing in the highest levels of NASCAR can be.

    Earlier this summer, Penske announced the loss of Mobil 1, a prime supporter of the No. 77 Penske race team with Hornish behind the wheel. Just this week, Penske announced that Hornish was free to pursue other options due to this sponsorship loss.

    “Right now we’re still in search of a primary sponsor for that car,” Tim Cindric, team president, said.  “The good news is that it’s September and not December.”

    But team principal Roger Penske confirmed more recently that the future for Hornish and that team are most certainly up in the air.

    “You can’t race without funding,” said Penske.  “We understand that if there are opportunities for him (Hornish), it’s an open book as far as communication.  We’re certainly not going to stand in his way as far as furthering his career, but we’d certainly like for him to be able to continue with us.”

    Even more recently, Penske Racing confirmed that Verizon, the current sponsor for Justin Allgaier’s car in the Nationwide Series, is also going the way of Mobil and “reevaluating their options” as far as NASCAR sponsorship.

    “It’s true that they’re evaluating their NASCAR involvement right now,” Jonathan Gibson, Penske Racing vice president of marketing, said of Verizon.  He also acknowledged in an interview on Sirius NASCAR radio with Dave Moody that this could impact the future of their up and coming racer Justin Allgaier.

    “Our intent is to continue with two Nationwide Series entries next season,” Gibson said.  “Justin is a great young driver who we would like to keep in our organization.”

    Through no fault of Penske or of driver Allgaier, Verizon has had a most difficult time truly activating their sponsorship, particularly with competitor Sprint as the exclusive series sponsor at the Cup level.

    “Verizon has been hindered in what they can do,” Gibson admitted.  “They can’t do much (at the tracks) and they can’t do anything with Sprint Cup Series drivers, which is difficult.”

    But where the rubber meets the road, Verizon’s struggles may well determine the future of Penske driver Allgaier.

    “I’d hate to say Allgaier was free to go, but there is a mutual respect there,” Cindric said in an interview with Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Claire B. Lang.  “We haven’t been able to put (anything) together yet and we want to see him land on his feet.”

    There is no doubt that sponsorship woes and the potential loss of talented drivers is one of the low points for Penske Racing.  They can, however, take some measure of comfort in the fact that they are not alone in experiencing those vagaries of the sport.

    Even powerhouse teams such as Hendrick Motorsports are having the same struggles, currently without a sponsor for next year for four-time champion Jeff Gordon with DuPont leaving his car.  Kyle Busch also announced this week that he would have to shutter the doors of his Truck team if sponsorship is not secured.

    Yet, like so many others in the sport, Penske Racing will no doubt persevere.  And this year, they may just be the poster child for that perseverance, particularly if Kurt Busch can pull off the Cup championship upset and Brad Keselowski can claim the Nationwide crown.

    “It would be really cool,” Keselowski said.  “Roger (Penske) means a lot to the racing community.  He’s won an F1 race, won an IRL race, won the Indy 500.  But he doesn’t have that NASCAR championship.”

    “I want to be that first guy to do it and I want to be able to walk into his office with that trophy and see a smile on his face.”

  • Rusty Wallace Racing Makes Management Changes

    –Larry Carter Named General Manager, New Crew Chief for Gaughan–

    MOORESVILLE, NC (September 14, 2010)—Officials of Rusty Wallace Racing this afternoon named veteran Sprint Cup Series crew chief Larry Carter as the team’s General Manager. In his new role, Carter will oversee all competition efforts of the two-car NASCAR Nationwide Series operation.

    A native of Raleigh, NC and graduate of North Carolina State University, Carter served as crew chief for Rusty Wallace’s No. 2 team at Penske Racing in 2004 and 2005. In that role, Carter led Wallace to his 55th—and final—career victory, as well as to a Chase appearance in Wallace’s final season as a driver.

    Following Wallace’s retirement from driving, Carter was crew chief for Jamie McMurray at Roush Fenway Racing in 2007 and 2008 before serving in the same role for Paul Menard at Yates Racing last season. Carter was also recently rumored as a top candidate for the position of Sprint Cup Series director.

    Said Larry Carter, “I’m both very excited and grateful to have this opportunity. This team has a lot of potential and I look forward to trying to help get them into Victory Lane. Rusty has put together a really solid infrastructure and I’m excited for the chance to take this team to the next level.”

    In addition to the naming of Carter, team officials also announced that Brad Parrott, crew chief for No. 62—Brendan Gaughan, will be replaced beginning with next weekend’s round of the Nationwide Series championship in Dover, DE. An interim crew chief for the No. 62 team will be named within the next week and a new full-time replacement will be named for the start of the 2011 season.

    # # #

    About Rusty Wallace Racing

    North Carolina-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary history of its founder, Rusty Wallace—one of NASCAR’s top-ten drivers of all-time. The team currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys in the prestigious NASCAR Nationwide Series, driven by Steve Wallace and Brendan Gaughan, respectively. In 2009, RWR stood as the only team with multiple drivers among the top-ten in the final Nationwide Series driver standings. For more on Rusty Wallace Racing, please visit the award-winning rustywallace.com.

  • TUMS ‘Chowdah’ Challenge and the No. 00 TUMS Toyota Races Into The Magic Mile

    As the NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesTM returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the second event of the season, TUMS® is prepared to deliver fast relief and fun to all New England fans.

    • TUMS, Levy and New Hampshire Motor Speedway have partnered on the ultimate New England cooking competition…the TUMS “Chowdah” Cook-Off. After submitting entries online, five contestants have been selected to compete in the at-track cooking competition. Cooking will begin Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8 a.m. ET at the TUMS Fast Relief Zone located in the fan midway at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. NASCAR personalities Jimmy Spencer and Michael Waltrip will join the judging panel which takes place at 10 a.m.

    • TUMS returns as the primary paint scheme on the No. 00 TUMS Toyota for the Sylvania 300. Following this event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, TUMS has one remaining paint scheme slated for Phoenix International Raceway.

    • In his last four races at the 1.058-mile oval, David Reutimann has scored four top-15 finishes including a fourth-place finish in the spring of 2009. He earned his best starting position of sixth this past spring event.

    • Reutimann is currently 17th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. He has won in all three major NASCAR series and was the 2007 Nationwide Series championship runner-up. In addition to the Sprint Cup win at Charlotte Motor Speedway and most recently at Chicagoland Speedway, he has three poles, 10 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes in 124 career Cup starts.

    • Note: Hi-resolution images are available upon request.

    About TUMS®

    For more than 75 years, TUMS® has been a fast, effective treatment for heartburn and acid indigestion, neutralizing stomach acid on contact. Today, TUMS is the number one antacid in America, used by more people than any other brand to treat heartburn.

    About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

    GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world’s largest over-the-counter consumer healthcare products companies. Its more than 30 well-known brands include alli®, Nicorette®, NicoDerm® CQ and Commit® as well as many medicine cabinet staples, including Abreva®, Aquafresh®, Sensodyne,® Tums® and Breathe Right®.

    About GlaxoSmithKline

    GlaxoSmithKline — one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies — is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information visit: http://www.gsk.com.

  • Mid-Race Hit Spoils Smith’s Solid Short Track Weekend at Richmond

    RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 11, 2010) — Regan Smith drove a damaged race car to a 25th-place finish in Saturday night’s Air Guard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.

    Smith, who qualified 17, virtually ran in the top-15 for the first 50 laps of the 400-lap, 300-mile race. He continued the pace in the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet until he got tangled in a typical short track fender bender near the midpoint of the event.

    Unfortunately for Smith, the damage was more severe than a few sheet metal dents. The front-end of the No. 78 machine took a good hit, including the all-important splitter.

    “Once the splitter got wrecked we were in trouble — it threw off the car’s balance and the aerodynamic package,” said No. 78 crew chief Pete Rondeau. “We needed more cautions so we could have fixed some of the problem. But the yellow flag didn’t fly that much tonight — I think we only had three cautions in the entire race which is unusual for a short track event.”

    Rondeau added, “We tested at the Milwaukee Mile last week and came into this race with the goal of improving our short track program and we did that. We had two solid practices on Friday and a respectable qualifying effort. Then we started the race strong, running in the mid teens until the first caution came out. The splitter issue did spoil what could’ve been a pretty good night of racing. But all-in-all we did make improvements and feel good about that.”

    Though he was not pleased with the result, Smith was upbeat about how the car performed.

    “I am not happy with the finish, but I am happy with the weekend performance,” stated Smith as he was leaving the .75-mile Richmond track. “The Furniture Row Chevy was really hooked up before the front-end damage. The car had grip, it had speed and it was just a lot of fun to drive. But once our car got hit it was never the same. We had a good weekend and I look forward to the same — minus the damage — in next week’s race in New Hampshire (Sept. 19).

    The race winner was Denny Hamlin. Rounding out the top-five in order were: Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Marcos Ambrose.

    The race had three cautions for 28 laps and there were 14 lead changes among six drivers.

  • Harvick wins the Virginia 529 College Savings 250

    Harvick wins the Virginia 529 College Savings 250

    The Nationwide Series night life kicked into high gear at Richmond International Speedway with Kevin Harvick leading the field to the green friday night.  The series point leader going into the race, Brad Keselowski, started third with the hunger to extend the already large lead over Carl Edwards.

    The new Nationwide Series car at RIR made for a good show as the driver’s battled changes in track conditions and each other for the right to hold the trophy high in Victory lane.  

    While some drivers cursed the new machinery others applauded the good racing it provided under the Friday night lights.

    As the night got colder the action got hotter seeing Harvick, Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Virginia native Elliott Sadler have their moments in the top spot. But by race end it was the determination of the pole sitting team that kept the wolves at bay. The win for Harvick put yet another feather in his Nationwide cap tying him with Mark Martin for the most wins in the series at RIR among active drivers.

    The point leader, Keselowski, pulled of a dramatic second place finish keeping his buffer for the points chase intact.  

    Trevor Bayne tied his best career finish with a third place run. “I was thinking about trying to hit the perfect corner and make the perfect lap and hoping for Harvick to make a mistake.” Keselowski told the media post race when asked about the closing laps.  “It was closer than we wanted it to be, that’s for sure. But I bet it was fun to watch” Harvick said when asked about the dramatic finish.

    “At that point all gloves were off,” Harvick said about hitting the wall coming to the finish. “I just gunned the throttle and was happy to hold on to it.” With one race of the weekend in the books Harvick looks on to the Cup Series event and the possible sweep of race weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

    Unofficial Results

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps
    1 1 33 Kevin Harvick  Chevrolet 195 10 250
    2 3 22 Brad Keselowski  Dodge 175 5 250
    3 8 99 Trevor Bayne  Toyota 165 0 250
    4 23 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. * Ford 160 0 250
    5 18 32 Reed Sorenson  Toyota 155 0 250
    6 5 20 Denny Hamlin  Toyota 150 0 250
    7 2 21 Clint Bowyer  Chevrolet 146 0 250
    8 10 98 Paul Menard  Ford 142 0 250
    9 6 18 Kyle Busch  Toyota 143 5 250
    10 4 60 Carl Edwards  Ford 134 0 250
    11 21 7 Aric Almirola  Chevrolet 135 5 250
    12 14 12 Justin Allgaier  Dodge 127 0 250
    13 31 88 Elliott Sadler  Chevrolet 129 5 250
    14 9 38 Jason Leffler  Toyota 121 0 250
    15 7 26 Parker Kligerman  Dodge 118 0 250
    16 25 66 Steve Wallace  Toyota 115 0 250
    17 20 62 Brendan Gaughan  Toyota 112 0 250
    18 26 34 Tony Raines  Chevrolet 109 0 250
    19 16 87 Joe Nemechek  Chevrolet 106 0 250
    20 19 15 Michael Annett  Toyota 103 0 250
    21 12 1 Ryan Newman  Chevrolet 105 5 250
    22 17 16 Erik Darnell  Ford 97 0 250
    23 36 35 Jason Keller  Chevrolet 94 0 250
    24 29 70 Shelby Howard  Chevrolet 91 0 248
    25 37 23 Coleman Pressley  Chevrolet 88 0 248
    26 15 100 Ryan Truex  Toyota 85 0 248
    27 30 25 Kelly Bires  Ford 82 0 248
    28 32 9 Landon Cassill  Ford 79 0 247
    29 38 1 Mike Wallace  Chevrolet 76 0 247
    30 34 24 Eric McClure  Ford 73 0 247
    31 35 28 Kenny Wallace  Chevrolet 70 0 247
    32 42 5 Willie Allen  Chevrolet 67 0 247
    33 27 10 Tayler Malsam  Toyota 64 0 247
    34 13 104 Jeremy Clements  Chevrolet 61 0 246
    35 11 49 Mark Green  Chevrolet 58 0 246
    36 39 27 Hermie Sadler  Ford 55 0 245
    37 24 81 Michael McDowell  Dodge 52 0 245
    38 40 11 Brian Scott * Toyota 49 0 216
    39 41 168 Carl Long  Chevrolet 46 0 207
    40 28 40 Mike Bliss  Chevrolet 43 0 120
    41 33 89 Morgan Shepherd  Chevrolet 40 0 43
    42 43 73 Derrike Cope  Dodge 37 0 14
    43 22 156 Kevin Lepage  Toyota 34 0 6

  • Fans Are Given Unprecedented Access to NASCAR Stars during Bank of America

    CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 9, 2010) – NASCAR fans are clamoring for more chances to see their favorite drivers and Charlotte Motor Speedway is listening. Building on its Fans First philosophy, Charlotte Motor Speedway is providing an unprecedented number of opportunities for fans to get closer to the stars of their favorite sport during Bank of America 500 Week Oct. 14-16.

    Through a variety of ticket packages and free events, fans will see the following NASCAR drivers and legends:

    – Richard Petty and Junior Johnson: The Hall of Fame ticket package gives fans access to a forum with the only two surviving members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Petty and Johnson. Starting at just $99, the package also includes a tour of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a collector’s edition magazine from That’s Racin’, by The Charlotte Observer.

    – Kasey Kahne: Fans who purchase the OktoberFast ticket package for the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 16 can participate in a Q-and-A session with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford.

    Starting at just $89, the package also includes authentic Oktoberfest food and drinks, a commemorative collector mug while supplies last and access to a special OktoberFast area to enjoy a real Oktoberfest-themed pre-race festival, with live music.

    – Kenny Wallace: Fans who purchase the OktoberFast ticket package for the Dollar General 300 on Oct. 15 can participate in a Q-and-A session with SPEED personality and NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Wallace. Starting at just $59, the package also includes the same additional benefits as the Bank of America 500 OktoberFast package.

    – Jamie McMurray: Outdoor enthusiasts who are NASCAR fans get a double treat with the Bass Pro Shops ticket package. With a $99 ticket purchase to the Bank of America 500, fans get a meet and greet with Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 winner McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. In addition, the package includes a $25 Charlotte Motor Speedway gift card, $15 off $100 or more on a Bass Pro Shops purchase, a pro hunting seminar at the Concord Mills Bass Pro Shops and a behind-the scenes tour of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

    – Jeff Burton: Families with Boy Scouts or Scout Masters can participate in a Q-and-A session with Burton, driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, through the speedway’s special Scout ticket package. With tickets for children 12 and under starting at just $10, the package includes seats in the family-friendly, non-alcohol, non-smoking sections in Turn 4.

    – Nationwide Series Drivers: Before the Dollar General 300 on Friday night, Oct. 15, fans can meet the stars of the NASCAR Nationwide Series during an hour-long autograph session on Pit Road.

    – Other Top NASCAR Stars: Two additional activities will give fans special driver access at the speedway this October. First, PRN Up To SPEED is the popular free fan forum that will take place at the SPEED stage, located at the speedway’s main entrance, prior to the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 16. Several NASCAR stars are scheduled to join personalities from the Performance Racing Network for the 30 minute Q-and-A session. Also, Victory Lane Club members get a complimentary breakfast on race day in the Nationwide Series garage, with special visits from top NASCAR personalities. The speedway’s Victory Lane Club offers fans three incredible NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events each year, along with unprecedented additional value and behind-the-scenes access.

    “We want to give our fans every opportunity to enhance their experience at the speedway by interacting with as many NASCAR stars as possible,” said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway. “With our exciting NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase racing under the lights and unmatched driver access opportunities, we know fans will walk away from the Bank of America 500 Weekend remembering Charlotte Motor Speedway as ‘The Greatest Place to See the Race.’”

    Tickets for all October races at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be purchased online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267). The Bank of America Fan 4

    Pack includes tickets, hot dogs and Coca-Cola drinks starting at just $39.75 per person and fans can get four nights of great racing with the Bank of America 500 Weekend Super Ticket for just $99.

    For daily updates on October race activities, connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy or become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway.

  • Randy LaJoie: His Story In His Own Words

    The headlines screamed the news when Randy LaJoie was suspended from NASCAR for violation of the sport’s stringent substance abuse policy. Now that he is one of the first to be reinstated following a strict educational protocol and intense random testing, he is open about sharing his experiences, in his own way and in his own words.

    SM: Can you take us through what happened that led to your substance abuse suspension from the sport?

    RL: “Me and my wife were at dinner with Mr. Steve deSouza and his wife. We got talking and he asked if I knew of anybody who could do some spotting for Brad Coleman and Matt DiBenedetto. I asked what it paid and when he said $650, I said hell, I’ll do it. So, the next day he called and gave me the dates and I said I could do them.”

    “Come Charlotte weekend, our son was going on a mission trip and they were giving golf cart rides to raise money for the trip. So, that’s what I did and darn near paid for the mission trip by working on the golf carts.”

    “Sunday night I jumped on the golf cart, was heading back to go home, run up on three guys that were having a very good time. They asked for a ride so I had them jump on and they were in a campground and I brought them there. I got there, there was a cookout, and I got talking to some people and the next thing I know we’re sitting cross legged smoking a peace pipe.”

    “I never gave it a second thought. I went home and that Thursday after Charlotte, Steve called and said I had to get a license to spot. I really didn’t want to buy another license but I needed a Nationwide license. I was right around the corner from the place so I went in, filled out the paperwork and peed in the cup.”

    “I went that weekend and spotted for Brad (Coleman), came home on Joe Gibbs’ plane and the Coach even complimented me on helping his young kid on the spotter’s stand. The next day I got an email from Brad’s dad saying how much he appreciated the job I did and how much the kid liked me. And then later that day, I got a phone call from the doctor, saying that he had a problem with my urine and that he found traces of marijuana.”

    “My heart stopped and I broke out in a sweat. And then it hit me. I was like wow, ok, I did it. Obviously if I would have known going into the test that I wouldn’t pass it, why would I have taken it? Then it was like, ok what do I have to do to fix this. I just kicked myself for two days hard. I embarrassed my family. I embarrassed myself. I’m trying to help my kids get where they’re trying to go. All I could think was you dumb ass.”

    SM: What happened next?

    RL: “I talked to Mike Helton about what do I have to do to get this over and done with. About a week and a half later they called and they did an assessment. I’ve never been to a shrink but that was the closest thing that I’ve ever been to a shrink. Then after the assessment, which said that I didn’t need any treatment, I had to do classes. I also had to buy a dozen kits and piss in a cup every week. After the third one, I asked if they were all clean, which they were. So, that’s what it was. I’m doing some faith-based counseling and doing some stuff through the church. I want to be a better person. I want to be smarter and find out why I went down the road and did what I did.”

    “I don’t know if it was the year that I had last year or what. My wife was diagnosed with cancer, my mom’s sick with cancer, and the seat company got put in the hole by an accountant. It all added up and obviously I didn’t make the right decision. So, I just had to man up, take it on the chin, and figure out what I had to do to fix this. I did it the best way I knew how…to tell the truth.”

    SM: How did you cope with the headlines and the feelings that you had during the suspension?

    RL: “I just wanted to crawl in a hole. I seen the hurt that it put on my wife’s face. I mean the boys handled it half-assed decent. We brought them both in to tell them and I could see that it looked like I just punched them in the gut. Then when I did get suspended, my first two days was phone calls to all the kids, they call themselves the ‘field fillers’, and I wanted to call all the parents and apologize. That beat the hell out of me.”

    “I think you realize the friends that aren’t fake. There were calls asking if I got suspended from ESPN and I knew their next call was to ESPN. Then there were those that said to call if I needed anything and then never returned my calls when I did call.”

    SM: How did the suspension affect your work and your livelihood?

    RL: “You know it definitely put a strain on it. My wife took it as a bigger hit as an embarrassment on the name. We’re still not as good as we were before. But then again, I think we’re going to be even better. The business after I got back, there was an inch of paper on my desk and out of that stack, there were three negative ones. Those three, I responded to them. It took me an hour to type a paragraph apologizing to them and telling them that I still wake up every day trying to keep kids safe. Then I gave them my competitor’s telephone number.”

    “I don’t know how I will get my good name back. There’s not many people that walk around with halos or live in glass houses.”

    SM: What do you want people to know about this experience and what it has meant to you?

    RL: “That I’m working on figuring out why I took the roads that I went down and I’m more than likely not going to do that again. I ask myself why every day. That’s something that I don’t know what the answer to that is. I just have to be a better person, follow the right attitudes. Obviously something bothered me that I wanted to hide from. Hopefully, I will get all my ducks in a row and not do that again.”

    SM: What does the future hold for Randy LaJoie?

    RL: “I enjoy working on the TV side. Will I get some of it back, I don’t know. I had three dates until the end of the year with ESPN and Versus had already filled my position. I still think my positives outweigh my negatives when it comes to racing. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve done a lot. I still wake up every day trying to keep my company afloat. My ‘Safer Racing’ tour is one of the best things I do and I turned it into a nonprofit. Every summer, I go on tour with different groups and go to different race tracks, looking at cars and telling them how to be safe. I have a wonderful program for kids who outgrow their seats but it’s a tough business to be in.”

    “My boys have seen what I’ve been through. It was my birthday last Saturday and in their birthday card they both said that we seen what you went through the past two months and you handled it well and we’re going to do that. So, if it’s going to help those ‘field fillers’ get to where they want to be, that’s a lesson learned.”

  • Jamie McMurray claims victory for JR Motorsports

    Jamie McMurray claims victory for JR Motorsports

    Kasey Kahne brought the field to the green flag for the Great Clips 300, NASCAR Nationwide Series  race at Atlanta Motor Speedway Saturday night with a near blinding sun off of turns one and two. With pressure from the start from Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman, Kahne steadfastly held his line and prevailed for the first 3 laps before Bush would get by.

    But Kahne was not about to give up as he dogged Busch, taking the lead back on lap 11. Kahne could not hold on up front as Bush moved past him again on lap 25.  As the 50 lap mark approached Jamie McMurray was charging forward and moved past Kahne to take second place.  The first caution of the race came for debris on the front stretch on lap 43. The race went green again 4 laps later.

    Busch held onto the lead as Michael McDowell spun in turn 2 on lap 61 bringing out the races second caution.  Following pit stops McMurray emerged the leader as the green flag flew on lap 64. McMurray’s lead  only lasted  5 laps as Kevin Harvick roared past to become the fourth leader on lap 70. Harvick fought hard to stay out front and managed to hold off the field until Kyle Busch took over once again on lap 122.
    With 50 laps to go in the race the top five included, Busch, McMurray, Harvick, Edwards and Keselowski.

    Caution number three came out on lap 148 when Trevor Bayne slid up high on the backstretch just as Ryan Newman was going high to pass him. The contact sent Bayne spinning into the inside wall. As the leaders pitted on lap 149, it was Jamie McMurray once again taking the lead, where he stayed until the fourth caution came out on lap 169 when Reed Sorenson spun on the backstretch.

    As the leaders came in for their final pit stops, Brad Keselowski stayed out to take the lead.  However, with fresh tires, Jamie McMurray made quick work of Keselowski taking the lead for the final time. Staying out front, holding off Kyle Busch in the closing laps, McMurray brought the #88 car to Victory Lane for his first NASCAR Nationwide Series win of the year. Busch was followed across the line by Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth.  Rounding out the top ten were Joey Logano, Jason Leffler, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    The win was McMurray’s eight win in 179 career NASCAR Nationwide Series races, his last win came at Darlington Raceway on November 13, 2004.  This was his second win and fourth top ten at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Unofficial Results

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps
    1 7 88 Jamie McMurray  Chevrolet 190 5 195
    2 2 18 Kyle Busch  Toyota 180 10 195
    3 5 60 Carl Edwards  Ford 165 0 195
    4 8 33 Kevin Harvick  Chevrolet 165 5 195
    5 18 16 Matt Kenseth  Ford 155 0 195
    6 10 20 Joey Logano  Toyota 150 0 195
    7 12 10 Jason Leffler  Toyota 146 0 195
    8 4 1 Ryan Newman  Chevrolet 142 0 195
    9 9 98 Paul Menard  Ford 138 0 195
    10 13 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. * Ford 134 0 195
    11 6 7 Josh Wise  Chevrolet 130 0 195
    12 15 22 Brad Keselowski  Dodge 132 5 195
    13 20 12 Justin Allgaier  Dodge 124 0 195
    14 16 21 Clint Bowyer  Chevrolet 121 0 195
    15 17 40 Mike Bliss  Chevrolet 118 0 195
    16 33 62 Brendan Gaughan  Toyota 115 0 195
    17 14 42 David Gilliland  Dodge 112 0 195
    18 23 35 Jason Keller  Chevrolet 109 0 193
    19 1 38 Kasey Kahne  Toyota 111 5 192
    20 39 34 Tony Raines  Chevrolet 103 0 192
    21 32 15 Michael Annett  Toyota 100 0 192
    22 35 9 John Wes Townley  Ford 97 0 191
    23 29 5 Willie Allen  Chevrolet 94 0 191
    24 11 99 Trevor Bayne  Toyota 91 0 191
    25 40 28 Kenny Wallace  Chevrolet 88 0 191
    26 27 27 Brad Baker  Ford 85 0 190
    27 26 81 Michael McDowell  Dodge 82 0 190
    28 30 11 Brian Scott * Toyota 79 0 189
    29 25 87 Joe Nemechek  Chevrolet 76 0 189
    30 36 24 Eric McClure  Ford 73 0 188
    31 34 26 Brian Keselowski  Dodge 70 0 184
    32 41 70 Mark Green  Chevrolet 67 0 183
    33 42 23 Robert Richardson Jr.  Chevrolet 64 0 170
    34 3 32 Reed Sorenson  Toyota 61 0 166
    35 37 66 Steve Wallace  Toyota 58 0 139
    36 22 1 Mike Wallace  Chevrolet 55 0 100
    37 21 91 Chase Miller  Chevrolet 52 0 19
    38 28 90 Danny O’Quinn Jr.  Chevrolet 49 0 15
    39 43 89 Johnny Chapman  Chevrolet 46 0 11
    40 31 52 Kevin Lepage  Chevrolet 43 0 3
    41 24 92 Dennis Setzer  Dodge 40 0 2
    42 19 43 Kevin Hamlin  Ford 37 0 2
    43 38 136 Jeff Green  Chevrolet 34 0 1

  • Paulie Harraka Is NASCAR’s Next Jersey Boy

    “Fuggedabout” Cup driver Martin Truex, Jr. and his baby brother, K&N East Series Champion Ryan. There is a new Jersey boy in town and his name is Paulie Harraka, K & N Pro Series West ace and now officially a Nationwide driver based on his debut at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last weekend.

    Harraka, 20 year old native of Wayne, New Jersey, officially took the next step in his NASCAR career by running his first race on the famous road course north of the border. Harraka drove the No. 87 Nationwide car for NEMCO Motorsports, along with owner and race teammate Joe Nemechek.

    According to Harraka, his deal came together when Joe Nemechek spotted him at Infineon Raceway, where both the West and Cup Series were running together. Harraka came in second in the West race at that track, solidifying Nemechek’s interest in the up and coming Jersey boy.

    “That’s when Joe and I started talking,” Harraka said.

    Harraka also took another important step in his rise up the ladder by snagging a sponsor for his Nationwide debut. In a deal that came together very quickly, the week before the race to be exact, Exide came on board Harraka’s car to sponsor the young driver.

    Unfortunately, Harraka did not have the run he had hoped for in his inaugural introduction to the next level of racing in the Nationwide Series. Both he and owner Nemechek were involved in an early wreck, relegating Harraka to a 29th place finish.

    “It was frustrating, you know,” Harraka said. “At the beginning of the race you have to be patiently aggressive, aggressive enough to be ahead of the wrecks when they happen and patient enough not to cause the wreck. I guess I was a little bit too patient.”

    “Somebody got into Nemechek and spun him and by the time I got there, the entire race track was blocked,” Harraka continued. “Not an inch of racetrack was left for me to use. There was nothing for me to do at that point.”

    “Unfortunately, we got the radiator and some other stuff and had to spend a fair amount of time in the garage, cutting pieces off to get back out there and score some points,” Harraka said. “And we did that, we finished and ended up 29th so overall it wasn’t terrible. It was just frustrating.”

    In spite of the tough finish, Harraka thoroughly enjoyed his time on the road course in Montreal, including its unique challenges.

    “Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a ton of fun to run at,” Harraka said. “It’s a cool place and Montreal is a great city.”

    “The race track is cool but it’s different than any other race tracks we run on,” Harraka noted. “It’s very narrow and the wall surrounding it is very narrow, with very little run off. So, if there’s a wreck you can’t just drive around it by virtue of it being narrow.”

    “With all the foliage around the track, I had four different spotters,” Harraka said. “And even with that, I didn’t have a spotter that could see the entire race track. It makes for difficult situations and unfortunately our Exide car got caught up in one of them.”

    Harraka had no time to be disappointed as shortly after leaving the track at Montreal he was headed back to Jersey to change, shower and catch a flight back to Duke University, where he was set to start his classes and his junior year.

    “It’s not easy,” Harraka said about being a full-time student as well as a race car driver. “But I can do both. I can handle the schedule.”

    If there is one thing that the young driver does get from his home state, it is that Jersey brashness and confidence. Harraka absolutely believes that he is meant to continue advancing up in NASCAR and has the boldness and belief in himself to do just that.

    Harraka’s confidence and attitude are also evident in NASCAR’s newest show, Changing Lanes, about young racers of diverse backgrounds who are competing in the Drive for Diversity program. The show airing on BET spotlights 30 young drivers, including Harraka who is of Syrian descent, competing for shots at their NASCAR dreams.

    Although Harraka has grown up in that program, spending four years under the D4D tutelage, he has now “graduated” and has moved on with his career based on his own networking and contacts.

    As for his plans for the future now that he has a Nationwide start under his belt, Harraka acknowledged that it was all a work in progress.

    “We’re working on some stuff,” Harraka said. “We don’t have any firm plans at present but we’re certainly working really hard to see what we can put together.”

    Until that time when things do come together for the young Jersey boy, Harraka will continue to race for the K & N Pro Series West Championship, where he sits in the third position with just three more races to go in the season.

    “We’re looking forward to the next few races, especially the next two,” Harraka said of his West Series run. “At Miller Motorsports Park, we finished second and Roseville (All American Speedway) we won last year.”

    “We’re still pushing for the championship,” Harraka said. “We need to do very, very well and have some other guys have some bad luck. But winning the championship is still our goal.”

    “I think for sure that’s the goal,” said Harraka of his bid to be the next NASCAR Jersey boy. “We’re working hard at it and things are falling in place.”